Sheffield Jazz is planning to return to live jazz with a 5-gig season starting on 23 October, subject to continuous reviews of government policy and local lockdown measures.
With their previous home of the Crucible currently closed, the performances will now take place at Crookes Social Club and strict safety measures will be put in places to keep audiences safe.
The measures include: strict audience size limit (100 maximum) and advance booking only, 1 metre distancing between tables, service of drinks to tables (no bar service), separate entrance and exit, managed queuing, wide corridors, ready access to sanitisers and enhanced washing facilities, and modified heating and ventilation arrangements. Audience members will also be expected to wear face coverings on arriving and departing and when moving around the hall.
What’s on?
Friday 23 October, Crookes Social Club, 20.00
Andrew McCormack: Solo and with Trio
Andrew McCormack is a composer and pianist at the pinnacle of his creative powers. His solo performance at the Crucible Studio in early 2020 as part of Jean Toussaint’s quartet was a highlight of that gig and he now returns to play both solo and with his own trio. Since bursting on to the scene in 2007 with his debut album, Telescope, he has been the driving force behind A-list jazz artists Kyle Eastwood, Eric Alexander, Denys Baptiste and Jean Toussaint, as well as a host of homegrown talent and has performed extensively around the world.
www.mccormackmusic.com/
www.mccormackmusic.com/
Friday 6 November, Crookes Social Club, 20.00
Yuri Goloubev’s “Two Chevrons Apart” Quartet featuring Tim Garland
An all-star international quartet. Moscow-born bassist and composer Yuri Goloubev made the transition between an acclaimed classical music career and successful jazz performance with unusual fluidity and authority. He describes ‘Two Chevrons Apart’ as a unit who play in an exploratory way, giving ample room for each player to express themselves. Their sound has a strong emphasis on melodic lines, underpinned by complex harmony and interplay between the musicians. Expect music that balances easy accessibility with inventive harmonic concepts.
Friday 20 November, Crookes Social Club, 20.00
George Crowley Trio
George Crowley has established himself as a key player within London’s burgeoning creative jazz and improv scene. His energy and expressive, warm saxophone sound mark him out as a musician to watch. He is accompanied here by Sheffield favourite Rob Luft, a tremendously fluent and innovative guitarist and the versatile Tim Giles on drums. A fine trio playing George’s original music and covering a diverse territory, with the music predominantly being driven by very strong melody, from lyrical folk to more contemporary electronic textures. “a fine young composer/player who knows where the music has been and where he’s headed with it.” – John Fordham, The Guardian.
www.georgecrowleymusic.com/
www.georgecrowleymusic.com/
Friday 27 November, Crookes Social Club, 20.00
Satori
A melodic and intimate gig by a fine trio whose 2018 gig at Crookes was extremely enjoyable. Satori is a Coltrane-inspired spiritual jazz trio with a focus on melodic freedom and band interaction led by saxophonist and composer Josephine Davies who won Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year in the 2019 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Their 2017 debut album attracted wide critical acclaim in the UK and Europe while their 2018 follow up ‘In The Corners Of Clouds’ received equally glowing reviews. “irrepressible tunefulness” (Downbeat); “consistently inventive” (Jazzwise); “spiritual, spiralling, slow-burning exuberance” (UK Vibe).
Friday 4 December, Crookes Social Club, 20.00
Clark Tracey Sextet
Following a great gig at Crookes with his quintet in 2018, Clark Tracey returns to Sheffield with this line-up of gifted young musicians augmented to a sextet. From his own experience of over 40 years in jazz, Clark leads them through bebop to post-bop, a highly accessible journey that swings all the way. Aside from Clark, who is a six-time winner of Best Drums in the British Jazz Awards, Alexandra Ridout won the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the year in 2016 with Sean Payne the runner-up while James Owston was also a finalist in the 2018 competition. Highly impressive pianist Will Barry has been seen in Sheffield with Jasper Hoiby’s and Alex Hitchcock’s bands. Since its inception this band has continued to impress audiences at clubs and festivals with a maturity beyond their years.
Tickets for all events are available at: www.ticketsource.co.uk/sheffield-jazz
